THE QUALITY-OF-LIFE IMPLICATIONS OF HEALTH PRACTICES AMONG OLDER ADULTS - EVIDENCE FROM THE 1991 CANADIAN GENERAL SOCIAL SURVEY

The health promotion literature for young adults is not generalizable to the elderly, and different outcomes are likely to motivate changes in health practices within the two populations. Main and interactive e ffects of smoking, alcohol consumption, obesity and physical activity on older Canadians' quality of life are examined with 1991 GSS data. Q uality of life is operationalized with psychological well-being and su bjective health indicators. Two dichotomous outcomes are used for each dimension, where one outcome is relatively sensitive in detecting imp aired quality of life and the other relatively specific. Smoking was c onsistently associated with negative outcomes, but there was little ev idence of adverse effects for alcohol consumption. Physical activity e ffects were most pronounced comparing sedentary and moderately active individuals. Body mass index showed curvilinear associations with impa ired quality of life and interactions with smoking and activity level in separate models.